@thunderdeacon wrote:

They just love to lie don't they. I guarantee you 100%, betting my life, betting my family's life, betting against nuclear war, that they will never, ever, ever, never in a million years, get 90% of the locations done without paying a bonus. She's lying and she knows it.

I can assure you, I am not lying. I am saying exactly what I was told. This project is MASSIVE. We are currently 68% assigned in just 2 weeks. I assume we will be close to 90% by the end of this weekend. I am hopeful I will get authorization for small bonuses next week. However, it is not MY call to make. I don't decide the bonus pools. I know that my client had to come down on the price billed to Sunoco quite a bit to land the account, so the budget is small.

Only about 5% of mystery shoppers are on this forum. We have more than 700,000 active shoppers in our database, and most shoppers take 20 to 30 additional locations after they do their first one, as they do get much easier as you find a "rhythm".

So, they ARE moving, it's just that we started with several thousand locations, so while it may appear that we are struggling, we are not. I don't know why you continue to attack me and my integrity, but I've been in this industry for 24 years now and that wouldn't happen if I wasn't good at what I do.

When I start getting the emails that have the first bonuses added, I will count how many shops are left. I will compare that to the total number of sunoco's in the United states, and I would be willing to bet my entire life savings that more than 10% of the locations will be remaining when the bonuses start rolling in. I'm not denying that you're good at what you do. I'm just saying that the statement that we will not add bonuses until we get to the last 10% is simply not true. It won't be true, and you know it won't be true. But you told that to a shopper because you were hoping they would believe you and go ahead and pick up the shops for less. That's probably one of the reasons why you're good at what you do. Some schedulers like to play mind games. They're not particularly concerned about being honest as long as it helps them get their shops filled. When the first bonuses start rolling in, I'm going to make a point of thoroughly looking over the number of locations that are left compared to the total number of sunocos. I will then post here that bonuses were given before 90% of the locations were done.

Lorri -

Thank you so much for responding. I have always valued your participation in this Forum.

I have always wondered how many unique shoppers there are. Presumably, someone has an estimate, but there are certainly issues about whom to count. I noticed and appreciated the fact that you used the term "active" I am sure that that number varies since shoppers may need a break, and those on break may return.

MarketForce claims to have 400,000 mystery shoppers. The Independent Mystery Shoppers' Coalition reports there are 1.5 million mystery shoppers in the United States alone. 5% of 1.5 million is 75,000 and I truly doubt that we have that many on this Forum. So, whenever people get upset that "we" don't hold out for more money, or that "we" should organize, I have to wonder how they expect to reach the remaining 95%. It might well be the remaining 98 or 99%.

@Lorri Kern KSS wrote:

@thunderdeacon wrote:

They just love to lie don't they. I guarantee you 100%, betting my life, betting my family's life, betting against nuclear war, that they will never, ever, ever, never in a million years, get 90% of the locations done without paying a bonus. She's lying and she knows it.

I can assure you, I am not lying. I am saying exactly what I was told. This project is MASSIVE. We are currently 68% assigned in just 2 weeks. I assume we will be close to 90% by the end of this weekend. I am hopeful I will get authorization for small bonuses next week. However, it is not MY call to make. I don't decide the bonus pools. I know that my client had to come down on the price billed to Sunoco quite a bit to land the account, so the budget is small.

Only about 5% of mystery shoppers are on this forum. We have more than 700,000 active shoppers in our database, and most shoppers take 20 to 30 additional locations after they do their first one, as they do get much easier as you find a "rhythm".

So, they ARE moving, it's just that we started with several thousand locations, so while it may appear that we are struggling, we are not. I don't know why you continue to attack me and my integrity, but I've been in this industry for 24 years now and that wouldn't happen if I wasn't good at what I do.

Hi @myst4au,

To date, we have had more than 2 million people register on our website, but many many are inactive (and have bad email addresses, or outdated phone numbers) since we started on the Sassie platform back in 2000 (My company was founded in 1998, but there was no Sassie back then). When I post my numbers, I only count shoppers with active profiles that are receiving emails on a regular basis.

That is definitely an important distinction to make. I honestly have no idea how many shoppers are on this forum. I just thought I should point out that while some people feel like if they haven't taken shops, no one else is either, that they are mistaken. My job is to get shops filled. I recruit EVERYWHERE.. you wouldn't even believe the lengths we've gone to in order to find new shoppers. And, it works .

I'd prefer to use experienced, reliable shoppers (as would everyone else in the industry), and always post to them first and foremost (little known fact, there is a way in Sassie to post to only shoppers with high ratings, or previous shoppers), but if that doesn't work, I resort to recruiting outside of standard current mystery shoppers. That is what I am paid to do.

I value my good and reliable shoppers more than I can say. There is a lot of hand holding that comes with recruiting a new person that has never shopped before. It is a lot of work on our side. But, in the end, I have to get the shops done for the amount of money the MSP gives me. It's not my money. I can't just pay whatever I want.

I have advocated very strongly with my clients that gas prices are up, that in a post covid world, people are valuing their time differently, and I've explained that $5 mystery shops are a thing of the past. I have been successful in getting MOST of them to increase shopper pay. I say things like "Would you leave your house for $5 and a $7 meal?". I am trying to make things better, but some of these contracts were negotiated pre COVID and the budgets are what the budgets are. I'd love to be paying $30 for these shops. My job would be MUCH easier.. but alas, it is what it is. And people ARE doing them (We've assigned more than 3K I think as of this afternoon). Some people want the free gas and $15 for 15 minutes of work.

I know it's not for everyone, ad I am ok with that. Only YOU can decide if it's worth it to you or not. No hard feelings from me!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2022 09:49PM by Lorri Kern KSS.

@wrosie wrote:

Wrosie wrote on 8/1/22 12:35 AM:

Lorri,

Is there any possibility for a bonus if I can do this shop on Wednesday August 3rd?

RESPONSE:

"I am not authorized to add bonuses yet as we still have 3000 locations open. When we get to the last 10%, we will add bonuses."

This seems kind of counter intuitive to me. Wouldn't you want to give small bonuses to move the number lower and then up the bonuses for the really hard to fill locations?

Lorrie,

I in no way meant to disparage you or what you do. You have helped many people here whether it was your job to or not.

I was just trying to inform the people here about my experience. I was going to try one shop, but I couldn't justify it without a bonus. So I e-mailed you and asked for it. You responded.

I think many people here were wondering the same thing I asked.

The last paragraph was just my personal opinion based on what I have seen when I search the job boards. Again, I'm looking at a limited, 25 mile radius from me not the whole country. So my sample is smaller than yours. Obviously, I don't have the big picture.

Lorri, since you're here, when will the actual mystery shop begin for this client? This current project is obviously an information gathering session.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2022 02:51AM by KA047.

Lorri states--.......free gas and $15 for 15 minutes of work.

Bob comments--Free, in this usage, is a misnomer; a shopper works for the fuel. In addition, when one considers the prep, travel, visit and report, 15 minutes is not possible. Even if a shopper is completing several jobs, which would eliminate prep, driving by the station and completing the report on a phone, 15 minutes would be difficult.

@KA047 wrote:

Lorri, since you're here, when will the actual mystery shop begin for this client? This current project is obviously an information gathering session.

We are hoping for Q4! I'll keep you posted

@shopperbob wrote:

Lorri states--.......free gas and $15 for 15 minutes of work.

Bob comments--Free, in this usage, is a misnomer; a shopper works for the fuel. In addition, when one considers the prep, travel, visit and report, 15 minutes is not possible. Even if a shopper is completing several jobs, which would eliminate prep, driving by the station and completing the report on a phone, 15 minutes would be difficult.

I stand corrected. Of course you are right on that. I just have had dozens (if not hundreds) of shoppers tell me that after the first one, they can get through these pretty quickly. Luckily, you really only have to download and read the guidelines once, not on every single shop. So I think they get much faster after the first one. But you are right, it's not free. I'll be more careful of my verbiage next time.

I saw on the job board that the new fee is $18, which is a $3 bonus added to each shop. More than 10% of the locations remain. Significantly more than 10% of the locations remain.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2022 03:59AM by thunderdeacon.

@thunderdeacon wrote:

I saw on the job board that the new fee is $18, which is a $3 bonus added to each shop. More than 10% of the locations remain. Significantly more than 10% of the locations are remaining.

There is NO bonus added yet at all. Also, we are not just shopping the 5300 Sunoco locations, we are also shopping thousands of competitor locations. We are at 87% assigned at this moment and I went back to the client and said the payment needs to be $18 due to increased gas prices. I literally just changed it 15 minutes ago. I have still not been authorized to add bonuses to the locations.

Why are you being so antagonistic? I am feeling like I am being stalked, not gonna lie. I am on YOUR side. Why you are trolling me is baffling.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2022 03:40AM by Lorri Kern KSS.

I guess I am a stickler for honesty and not playing games with shoppers. Going from $15 to $18 is a bonus of $3 over the original. Saying it is a pay increase instead of a bonus is like saying something is a surcharge and not a fee. It is the same thing, and we have devolved into arguing semantics.

Gas prices have decreased significantly since the beginning of the project. If $15 was deemed appropriate pay at much higher gas prices at the beginning of July, theoretically the fee should be decreasing instead of increasing if that is the reason for the bonus.

I am not trolling you. I saw an absurdly dishonest statement about about not adding bonuses until the last 10% of the locations remain. I was simply pointing that out to the shopper as to not be duped. The most straightforward reply might have been, "I am not authorized to add a bonus right now, but I appreciate the offer." I also know through private conversation with other shoppers that some small bonuses were approved last week. I also do not believe that 87% of the locations are complete. On that point we will just have to disagree. The number of shops on the most recent emails I have received might....might....be half the size as the ones at the beginning of the project. I doubt even that, to be honest. They are certainly not 87% smaller.

There is a dearth of honesty in mystery shop scheduling these days, and I have been on a crusade to try to inform and protect my fellow shoppers.

@Lorri Kern KSS wrote:

@thunderdeacon wrote:

I saw on the job board that the new fee is $18, which is a $3 bonus added to each shop. More than 10% of the locations remain. Significantly more than 10% of the locations are remaining.

There is NO bonus added yet at all. Also, we are not just shopping the 5300 Sunoco locations, we are also shopping thousands of competitor locations. We are at 87% assigned at this moment and I went back to the client and said the payment needs to be $18 due to increased gas prices. I literally just changed it 15 minutes ago. I have still not been authorized to add bonuses to the locations.

Why are you being so antagonistic? I am feeling like I am being stalked, not gonna lie. I am on YOUR side. Why you are trolling me is baffling.

Hi Lori:

I wanted to thank you for the upfront information you're providing on this matter. I performed one of the shops and it was not a terrible experience but it is more work than I want to do on a side-gig. Its certainly not meant to be a criticism of you or whomever came up with the stipulations to make a purchase at the pump, one inside, and get all of the photographs, count refrigerators, etc... Thats just me--there is easier money to be made out there. Again, this isn't an imputation of you or your efforts on this matter. Again, I applaud you entering into this thread and providing the information.

To your post above, I'd like to apologize on behalf of the board. Not only have the comments been rude but I am mildly shocked that the moderators have allowed some of the baseless and incendiary allegations about your character to stand. Its a low point for this board that was once a rather fun distraction from the business of mystery shopping....scanning receipts, writing narratives, and attempting to self-edit our reports to sound as diplomatic as possible.

Again, thank you for the information.

I saw the guidelines and then said, "No way!" It's like a covert image audit and mystery shop with only mystery shop pay. Either make it a mystery shop at mystery shop, or make it a revealed image audit at revealed audit pay. Don't try to make it both and get by with only paying for a quick mystery shop.

I don’t like doing Marathons because we aren’t supposed to wear a safety vest. Just looking at the description, these sound dangerous to take so many photos in the forecourt unrevealed.

I just did two of these and thought they were pretty easy. After reading the guidelines for an E/M shop with another MSC, well, compared to those, these Sunocos are a piece of cake. I'd rather do these than a revealed audit that takes forever.

I really don't know why so many people who haven't even done them are complaining about this shop. You just check on a few things, buy some gas and a small item, take some pictures, remember what the clerk looks like/said/was wearing, and it's done in about 25 minutes. The report didn't take too long, as you're just uploading pictures and mostly checking boxes yes or no. Very little narrative. I don't think I wrote more than 3 or 4 sentences.

Sure, I wish the reimbursement and pay were higher, but don't we always wish that? I still appreciated getting to top off my gas tank and basically just uploading pics. I had no issues with being in danger nor anyone questioning what I was doing. I could take a few of the required pics while next to my car at the pump. Even the one pic I had to take inside the store was easy to snap while making it look like I was texting. If anyone asks why you're taking pics, just say you're blogging about your road trip or something. I would do more of these if there were more Sunoco stations near me. The closest one after the two I did is about 40 minutes away. and the others I see still available are kind of too spread out for me to easily make a circuit, unfortunately.

My ONLY bit of trepidation is regarding the reputation that the MSC has (at least on this forum) for paying verrrrry late. I took a few years off from MSing so hadn't worked any shops for them before, nor knew anything about their bad reputation. I applied because I was familiar with Kern. I am just hoping that the 35-day pay cycle the MSC has stated on their login page holds true. Call me foolish, but eh, whatever. Maybe they've turned things around.

.

Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2022 04:40AM by shopnyc.

@Lorri Kern KSS wrote:

Why are you being so antagonistic? I am feeling like I am being stalked, not gonna lie. I am on YOUR side. Why you are trolling me is baffling.

Wow - are you serious? You entered a thread started by @thunderdeacon to defend your company and your position. Your company, and your name, were first mentioned by another user, not @thunderdeacon. Your wording is very kind and cordial whereas @thunderdeacon cuts straight to the point. I am quite sure s/he checked the boxes for email notifications after starting the thread so that s/he is informed when a response is made within the thread (obviously you have done the same). I would hardly call this trolling or stalking - especially when you entered the thread on page 2 after multiple users complained on page 1 about the low rates offered by the company. You can email the moderator if you feel endangered by another user's behavior. Implying that a user is a stalker or that a user is trolling in a public forum is not professional. If I had performed an action such as this, I would publicly apologize for implying that another user is stalking or trolling when they most definitely were not (if I am wrong, please feel free to post a link to another thread where the user has stalked or trolled you).

@metro25782 - please do not apologize to anyone on my behalf.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2022 03:14AM by patman9760.

Again, Lori... I apologize on behalf of the board.

In the email that the shopper received that was published here, the shopper was lied to. Whether it was intentional or inadvertent, the statement that no bonuses will be given until 90% of the shops are done, and 10% of the shops are left, was an untrue statement. It has proven to be untrue because the pay has been increased, and there are more than 10% of the locations left. How that got blown up into me being a stalker or a troller I have no idea. I will not apologize for pointing out an inaccuracy in what a scheduler told a shopper. It's not particularly uncommon, but what is uncommon is that the scheduler came here to defend themselves. I'm not attacking the character of the scheduler or any specific person. I was simply pointing out that what the shopper was told was not true. I did not want the shopper to be duped into thinking that they were going to be no bonuses for the first 90% of the shops. I did not want the shopper to be tricked into thinking they needed to accept the shops for less because they were never going to pay more. That's all I was doing. Nobody needs to apologize for me, and I do not need to apologize. Pointing out facts is not something that requires an apology. In the end, each shopper should make the decision on whether an opportunity pays enough money or not. I happen to be of the opinion that shoppers often accept work for less than what I think it should pay. But that's their prerogative, and I encourage anyone to do what is best for them. I just think the process should be honest.

Before I begin my post, two points: I acknowledge it is repetitious and I have not completed a Sunoco shop, as the current fee is unacceptable to me.

shopnyc states--My ONLY bit of trepidation is regarding the reputation that the MSC has (at least on this forum) for paying verrrrry late.

Bob disagrees--Just as an 8 oz. container with 4 ozs, of liquid can be viewed as either 1/2 full or 1/2 empty, the same is true in this situation. As shopping is, to me, business, I take a business stance. The MSC has never paid me late in almost 16 yrs., nor do I have any recollection of any shopper posting their money arrived beyond the contracted date. What I have read is several comments from posters concerning their fees being submitted later than they personally desired. I desire $30 for the Sunoco shops, but at the rate they are being scooped up in SW Ohio, that is a wish that, even if made upon a star, will never come true. Any official of an MSC who pays a cent above what is necessary, should be dismissed for cause..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2022 03:11PM by shopperbob.

I haven’t done any of these shops, but I’ve done thousands of revealed gas station shops. It sounds like you have not done very many, so you also don’t have the complete information. Are there problems in the forecourt on every shop, with or without a safety vest? No. But walking around a gas station taking pictures can be dangerous if you aren’t paying attention to the drivers. Being discreet is just one more thing to think about that takes attention away from watching cars, and seems silly in this case since we’d have the LOA anyway. I’m not concerned with people approaching me since there are all sorts of reasons I could give and in the end I’d have the LOA.
You’re comparing these to a shop you haven’t done why wondering why we could critique this shop we haven’t done? E/M’s have zero narrative: not 3-4 sentences. They take me less time to shop than you spent doing this shop (though this was your first one and presumably would get faster). The guidelines for E/M’s spend a lot of time showing examples with photos, they are not difficult or confusing.

@shopnyc wrote:

I just did two of these and thought they were pretty easy. After reading the guidelines for an E/M shop with another MSC, well, compared to those, these Sunocos are a piece of cake. I'd rather do these than a revealed audit that takes forever.

I really don't know why so many people who haven't even done them are complaining about this shop. You just check on a few things, buy some gas and a small item, take some pictures, remember what the clerk looks like/said/was wearing, and it's done in about 25 minutes. The report didn't take too long, as you're just uploading pictures and mostly checking boxes yes or no. Very little narrative. I don't think I wrote more than 3 or 4 sentences.

Sure, I wish the reimbursement and pay were higher, but don't we always wish that? I still appreciated getting to top off my gas tank and basically just uploading pics. I had no issues with being in danger nor anyone questioning what I was doing. I could take a few of the required pics while next to my car at the pump. Even the one pic I had to take inside the store was easy to snap while making it look like I was texting. If anyone asks why you're taking pics, just say you're blogging about your road trip or something. I would do more of these if there were more Sunoco stations near me. The closest one after the two I did is about 40 minutes away. and the others I see still available are kind of too spread out for me to easily make a circuit, unfortunately.

My ONLY bit of trepidation is regarding the reputation that the MSC has (at least on this forum) for paying verrrrry late. I took a few years off from MSing so hadn't worked any shops for them before, nor knew anything about their bad reputation. I applied because I was familiar with Kern. I am just hoping that the 35-day pay cycle the MSC has stated on their login page holds true. Call me foolish, but eh, whatever. Maybe they've turned things around.

.

Hi all, just a note about the non revealed part of the shop. The main reason why we are asking you to be discreet is because the audits are only ONCE per year. When these are finished, we will start the mystery shopping monthly program. We are trying not to "burn" our shoppers so that they can complete the regular mystery shops.

Of course, you can present the LOA for the audit, but the the location will "know" you, and the you won't be eligible to do the mystery shopping program.

Do I love the program design? No. But I am following directions just like all of you do. I was given a task, I was given a budget, and I am executing it because this is how I pay my bills. I am flattered that some of you think that I dictate the process, programs and payments, but alas, I do not. I only execute based on what I am told to do.

Scheduling is NOT glamorous

Sorry, Notme2021, I should have been more clear about the narrative. The narrative box on the Sunoco shop is there in case there is an element you want to report on that was not covered in the rest of the report. The way the instructions are worded, I believe it is optional, but I entered three short sentences just in case.

I have done a number of gas station audits, albeit years ago, and I am returning to MSing after a few years off, but I don't think I really need to justify my opinions. However, I should also have been more clear about my comparing these Sunoco shops to the M/E ones from a different MSC. I am currently signed up for an E/M audit, and saw the abundance of materials I need to read in advance. So, to me, based on the preparation needed, it *seems like* the Sunoco is not as stringent nor as demanding as those. That's all. Of course, I admit I could be totally wrong about the E/M audits, so please forgive me for even mentioning those! I will find out in a few days and compare them for real.

The fact remains that, ultimately, I thought the two Sunoco shops I did were a breeze and, like I said, I wish I could do more if there were more Sunocos near me. Period.

And I would think it goes without saying that walking around a gas station with cars going in and out demands that one be careful and on their guard. I walk with a cane, so I am careful pretty much everywhere.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2022 05:42PM by shopnyc.

@shopperbob wrote:

shopnyc states--My ONLY bit of trepidation is regarding the reputation that the MSC has (at least on this forum) for paying verrrrry late.

Bob disagrees--

How can you disagree with my feeling a bit of trepidation? Trepidation is defined as *a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.* You can disagree with statements asserted as facts, certainly, but how can you challenge what I am feeling? Also, my saying that I ONLY have a *bit of trepidation* should have conveyed that it isn't much of a concern. Furthermore, in my post which you quoted, I also wrote: "I am just hoping that the 35-day pay cycle the MSC has stated on their login page holds true. Call me foolish, but eh, whatever. Maybe they've turned things around." I thought that would have made clear that I'm not too worried about it.

I will reiterate more clearly: I only have a tiny bit of concern about being paid, after reading what others have said about them in this forum. However, I'm actually not too worried about it. If it happens that there is a problem, I'll deal with it.

shopnyc,

No where in my disagreement did I state trepidation was the point of my post. To my eyes. I clearly focused on your concern as to tardiness of payment.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2022 06:28PM by shopperbob.

@shopperbob wrote:

shopnyc,

No where in my disagreement did I state trepidation was the point of my post. To me eyes. I clearly focused on your concern as to tardiness of payment.

The MSP that has Sunoco has changed their payment policy to payments will be issued approximately 35 days after your shop is accepted. It is now stated on their shopper landing page. Hopefully this us good news for the shopping community!

If you would like a link to view the publicly posted new shopper payment policy, please feel free to email me (I do not check this forum daily, so i may not see your responses, but you can reach me via email at KSSLorri@kernscheduling.com )

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2022 01:36AM by Lorri Kern KSS.

@Lorri Kern KSS wrote:

@shopperbob wrote:

shopnyc,

No where in my disagreement did I state trepidation was the point of my post. To me eyes. I clearly focused on your concern as to tardiness of payment.

[DELETED] has changed their payment policy to payments will be issued approximately 35 days after your shop is accepted. It is now stated on their shopper landing page. Hopefully this us good news for the shopping community!

[DELETED LINK]

You listed the MSC along with the client - might want to change that...

@Lorri Kern KSS wrote:

Hi all, just a note about the non revealed part of the shop. The main reason why we are asking you to be discreet is because the audits are only ONCE per year. When these are finished, we will start the mystery shopping monthly program. We are trying not to "burn" our shoppers so that they can complete the regular mystery shops.

Of course, you can present the LOA for the audit, but the the location will "know" you, and the you won't be eligible to do the mystery shopping program.

Do I love the program design? No. But I am following directions just like all of you do. I was given a task, I was given a budget, and I am executing it because this is how I pay my bills. I am flattered that some of you think that I dictate the process, programs and payments, but alas, I do not. I only execute based on what I am told to do.

Scheduling is NOT glamorous

I'm not sure if it was your company or not but a few years back, I was to wait outside of a Sunoco and give gift cards to anyone who had a sticker on their bumper. Awkward! I'm glad those aren't being done anymore TTBOMK.

My comments about the program were not directed at you if that’s what you’re referring to. I have never thought that a scheduler sets the program guidelines. I was commenting to other shoppers wrt my own comfort level walking around a gas station forecourt taking photos without a safety vest. There’s a reason that nearly everyone who has a job that involves working where cars drive—from shopping cart fetchers to highway construction workers—wears safety vests. I’ve gotten accustomed to wearing them doing other shops.

It seems like you’re saying shoppers doing this program are “burned” forever, or for a year, from a particular location or maybe the entire project, if they have to show the LOA once. That seems like a crazy rule (not set by you), but so be it. (You do *not* need to defend or explain the rules!)

Regarding the rest: When I get emails about shops that say “last day!” I may say to myself (or here on the forum), “That’s a lie.” I am not in that case impugning the scheduler’s integrity (there is at least one scheduler who I think does have a lack of integrity, but that’s not you), but I am usually right that the program is then extended once or even several more times, just as Thunderdeacon was right about bonuses on this shop.

Frankly, claiming that a fee increase does not equal a bonus in the mystery shopping world, is silly and your argument has entered an online social media argument style (semantics and name-calling) that may not matter for anonymous shoppers, but does matter to a professional who is here in her business capacity using her own and company name.

I guess I can sort of, maybe, understand why you originally replied if you thought someone was personally calling you a liar, but I’m truthfully a little dumbfounded that you’re replying to almost every comment that is negative about this shop or MSC. There are negative comments on this forum about nearly every shop offered by any MSC and scheduled by any scheduler that’s part of a big program, and many about various small programs. It’s just the nature of online comments that people are more likely to comment if they had a negative experience or have something negative to say. And here in this forum people like to warn other shoppers and/or for other shoppers to commiserate. I’ve made *many* negative comments about E/M, which I then was positive about in this thread, and which is possibly my favorite project.

Calling a shopper a troll I found to be unprofessional, especially since it was then followed by replying to nearly every negative comment in the thread, and some positive ones. Schedulers have just as much of a right, if not more, to comment here as shoppers do, but I’m frankly just not sure it’s serving your business to continue this way, especially if you’re not going to apologize for calling deacon a troll.

I apologize in advance for any forum member who, by apologizing for me, is encouraging you to continue in this way.

@Lorri Kern KSS wrote:

Hi all, just a note about the non revealed part of the shop. The main reason why we are asking you to be discreet is because the audits are only ONCE per year. When these are finished, we will start the mystery shopping monthly program. We are trying not to "burn" our shoppers so that they can complete the regular mystery shops.

Of course, you can present the LOA for the audit, but the the location will "know" you, and the you won't be eligible to do the mystery shopping program.

Do I love the program design? No. But I am following directions just like all of you do. I was given a task, I was given a budget, and I am executing it because this is how I pay my bills. I am flattered that some of you think that I dictate the process, programs and payments, but alas, I do not. I only execute based on what I am told to do.

Scheduling is NOT glamorous

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2022 06:12AM by Notme2021.

There is too much to quote to reply to any single statement. So I am going to say what I have seen on the website, and here in this thread that lead me to believe that the nice lady from KSS is either lying or doesn't actually have theinformation she thinks she does.

When the shops came out they were $15 with $7 reimbursement for gasoline and a purchase inside the C-store. This thread started, the folks here suggested that $15 is not enough for the amount of work involved, especially if they expect us to remain covert through the entire shop. The lady from KSS came to defend something, and apparently someone at the MSC agreed that $15 wasn't enough, and they raised it to $18.

At this point the shoppers said, "ooo, look at that pitiful bonus." And the lady from KSS said it's not a bonus it is to help offset the increased price of gasoline. But that doesn’t make sense, because if it was to offset the increased price of the gasoline, they would have raised the reimbursement amount, not the shopper pay. At least that makes more sense in my mind. But the lady from KSS isn't going to let it go, even though she really doesn’t know or have any control over what the MSC is doing. So she gets argumentative and starts playing the victim when the shoppers call her on her false statements.

I don't know which day it changed, nor do I care. But today when I checked the MSC's website it says $15 shopper pay, back to the original amount, $7 reimbursement, and $5 bonus.

So the way i see it, as someone who will never schedule a shop through KSS again in my lifetime, is that the $18 shopper pay was indeed a pitiful pretend bonus to entice us to take the jobs. And when it didn’t work, they actually did label it as a bonus, added $2, and put the shopper pay back to the original amount. But they still have not addressed the increase in fuel cost, or the increase in the cost of living. And the lady from KSS still feels threatened by the shoppers seeing through her misstatements.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2022 05:38AM by Morledzep.